


The Trouble with Advice

by Kaslyna



Category: Defiance (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amanda's advice always leads to murder, F/M, Gen, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 09:36:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16532015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaslyna/pseuds/Kaslyna
Summary: “As your lawkeeper, I’m going to tell you, I need you to stop giving people advice,” Berlin sighed, shaking her head a little at the gruesome crime scene in front of her. To her side Amanda was still, silent.Or, Berlin sort of stages an intervention when Amanda gives advice that leads to somebody's murder, again.





	The Trouble with Advice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aflawedfashion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aflawedfashion/gifts).



> This was a prompt given to me by aflawedfashion. Some background: this is an AU where Christie survives. I'm gonna say it's post season 3, and of course Nolan came back. It's mostly general with some background pairings if you squint.

“As your lawkeeper, I’m going to tell you, I need you to stop giving people advice,” Berlin sighed, shaking her head a little at the gruesome crime scene in front of her. To her side Amanda was still, silent.

 

“Well I can’t say I’m sorry he’s dead,” Amanda replied.

 

“Can anyone?” Berlin murmured to herself in response.

 

She’d called Amanda here because she knew that she’d want to see it for herself. Nolan and Irisa were out getting statements from witnesses. The three of them weren’t entirely sure whether they should call the grisly scene an act of self defense and sweep it under the rug or get justice for Datak’s killer. Personally, Berlin leaned towards the former. She had a feeling Amanda might, too, though Amanda’s sense of justice was so great that she wasn’t sure that that would be enough for Amanda to look the other way.

 

Amanda had told Berlin the other night when they’d been at the NeedWant drinking how two nights prior to that, Christie had shown up in her office late. The younger woman had seem distraught about something-what, Amanda didn’t say. But she did say to make sure that they paid extra attention to the Tarr house, because she couldn’t be entirely certain that Christie wasn’t in danger. She’d refused to say more than that, though she had offhandedly mentioned she’d given Christie advice on how to deal with the situation.

 

Staring down at the butchered body of Datak Tarr, Amanda couldn’t help but remember that conversation half a week ago.

 

-o-o-o-

 

It was late, and raining hard. Amanda wanted nothing more than to go home, have a glass of scotch with Nolan, maybe a bath to unwind before they went to bed. Instead, she was pouring over paperwork, paperwork that she’d already put off for too long. She half hoped that Nolan would come by to stage an intervention and force her to give up for the night, but he hadn’t.

 

There was a knock on her open door that caused her to startle a little. Amanda looked up to see Christie, holding the baby, who looked much drier than his mother. Amanda frowned, considering them for a long moment, confused by her sudden appearance.

 

“Can we come in?” Christie asked, after Amanda had said nothing for a while.

 

“Sure, of course,” Amanda blinked a little, forcing herself back to the moment; she must’ve been more tired than she’d thought.

 

Christie walked in, slowly and cautiously. She took a seat on one of Amanda’s couches; Amanda cringed a little considering how Christie had just come in from the rainstorm outside, but said nothing about it. Clearly the younger woman was in some kind of a crisis, and that was far more important than Amanda’s couch. She wondered, idly, if she should get Nolan here; but looking at Christie, at the way she clung to Luke as if he was the only thing keeping her from bolting out the door, Amanda decided she could judge if he needed to be involved later.

 

“Sorry, I know it’s late,” Christie swallowed, looking up at her, “I just… I didn’t know where to go, you know? My dad’s gone, and I can’t really go to Stahma or Alak about this. And I don’t really know anyone else, so I just thought…”

 

“It’s alright,” Amanda assured her, giving her an encouraging smile, “That’s what I’m here for. I babysat you when you were just a kid, remember?”

 

Christie nodded, and it seemed to Amanda that she was finally collecting herself as she said, “Right. Well, I was just wondering if you could give me some… advice, on a situation.”

 

“I can try,” Amanda promised, taking a seat next to her.

 

Christie took a deep breath, and then said, “Okay. Um. You’re not gonna tell anyone, right?”

 

“Cross my heart,” Amanda said, aiming for a lighthearted tone.

 

Christie nodded and then said in one breath, “Datak is always on us about how we’re raising Luke, because he’s not fully Casti and he’s afraid he’s not going to be Casti enough, culturally. He’s particularly hard on Alak about it and I just…”

 

“What do you mean, “hard on Alak”?” Amanda asked, looking only to confirm her suspicions. 

 

Christie shook her head, “I can’t… I just don’t want to see him getting on Luke’s case like this too. He’s just a baby now, but I can’t imagine that in a few years Datak won’t…”

 

This time, Amanda didn’t press. There was a sinking feeling in her gut at what Christie was alluding to, and it made her angry. How many people would Datak Tarr be allowed to get away with hurting? She should’ve killed him when she’d had the chance.

 

“Okay,” Amanda forced herself to calm down, “Well, you could remind him that you take the culture you married into seriously, and that if you could try your best to understand and appreciate it, you should have no problem making sure Luke knows where he came from, too.”

 

Christie nodded, and then closed her eyes and buried her face in the top of the baby’s head. Luke appeared to be asleep, Amanda realized, and she wondered for a moment how he’d managed to stay that way. Amanda reached out, cautiously, to lay a hand on Christie’s shoulder. Christie stiffened briefly, and then relaxed slowly once Amanda didn’t retract her hand. After a long moment Amanda squeezed her gently and let go.

 

“Thank you,” Christie looked at her.

 

“Of course,” Amanda replied softly, “If you need anything, I’m always here. Okay?”

 

Christie nodded, “Okay.”

 

“Good,” Amanda smiled at her reassuringly, “I think you could use a drink. No more than one, of course.”

 

Christie let out a huff of laughter and nodded her assent. Amanda got up to pour them scotch. She didn’t stay long after that, but after she’d left Amanda spent a good while staring into the semi darkness of her office contemplating and worrying over what Christie had implied to her. Eventually she decided she gave up on working for the rest of the night, and got up to go back to her apartment. She also decided that she would wait to tell Nolan until she had a better understanding of the situation; with their history, it wouldn’t do for him to go in without evidence; no, that could too easily put Christie in worse danger.

 

-o-o-o-

 

“Well,” Nolan sighed, scrubbing a hand tiredly over his face, “We have a few options here.”

 

“We do?” Amanda asked, a glimmer of hope in her chest that she couldn’t quite help. She didn’t want to see Christie go to prison for this.

 

“Yeah,” Nolan nodded, “Christie admitted she killed him, but she claims she was doing so because he was beating Alak. Kid’s got bruises, that’s for sure, but from what…”

 

“She came to me the other night,” Amanda interrupted, “She told me that Datak was “hard on Alak”. Christie was worried he might become that way at Luke, too. I told her to see if reminding him that she loved the culture she married into would help, but I didn’t think it would…”

 

“Alright,” Nolan nodded, his shoulders sagging a little in relief, “Well, if everyone else here is in agreement, I say we file this as an act of self defense and move on.”

 

“I’m okay with that,” Berlin declared.

 

“Me too,” Irisa nodded.

 

“Amanda?” he turned towards her; as the mayor, she had the final say in the matter.

 

“Yes,” she agreed.

 

Nolan smiled a little at her, “Alright, then I’ll go let Christie go. Do you think we need to post a detail in case Stahma or one of his goons…?”

 

“Might be a good idea, just to give her peace of mind,” Amanda considered, “But try to be inconspicuous.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Again, I say that as your lawkeeper, I think you need to stop giving people advice,” Berlin muttered, coming up beside Amanda again.

 

“I think you may be right,” Amanda sighed.

 

After all, how many times had her advice inadvertently lead to murder?


End file.
